This invention relates to an electrical connector with a terminal position assurance. More specifically, this invention relates to an electrical connector with a terminal position assurance including features that allow for additional connector features without increasing the size of the electrical connector or the terminal position assurance.
Vehicles, such as passenger cars include an increasing number of electrical devices. Features such as lights, cameras, sensors, motors, blowers, and heaters are used to provide comfort or safety features for passengers of the vehicles. In order to operate these electronic components, electrical connections are provided in the vehicle to transfer operating power and control signals. During assembly of a vehicle, the components are typically put in position, and multiple wires are run together in a wire harness. Each of the individual wires can be connected to a separate electrical terminal. Multiple electrical terminals may be placed in a connector, which is mated with a corresponding connector in order to make electrical connections to all the wires in the wire harness simultaneously. Connecting multiple terminals simultaneously increases the amount of force an operator has to exert to mate the connectors, and in order to remove the need for the operator to use a separate tool, it is known to use lever actuated connectors such as the one described in U.S. Pat. No. 9,281,614.
In order to confirm that the electrical terminals are in the proper positions in the connector housings during assembly and mating, electrical connectors often include terminal position assurance components. An example of a connector that includes a terminal position assurance is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,913,494. The '494 patent shows a connector that has multiple recesses to accommodate electrical terminals and a finger in each recess engages the terminal in that recess. The connector includes an end-type terminal position assurance with a body that extends across the outer ends of the recesses. The terminal position assurance includes members that extend into each recess in order to hold the finger in place against the terminal. Each terminal is then retained in position in the respective recess, trapped between the finger and the body of the terminal position assurance. The '494 patent shows a similar end-type terminal position assurance on both the male connector and the female connector, and when the two connectors are mated the two terminal position assurances are adjacent to each other with respective outer faces engaged. The end-type terminal position assurance is advantageous in that it has access to each of the terminal recesses from a single body and also does not require any additional openings through the connector housing.
As the number of electrical components in vehicles continues to increase, there is a desire to fit an increasing number of electrical connections in the vehicles. As a result, it would be advantageous to have an electrical connector which allows a greater number of electrical terminals to be fit in a location, while still being easy for the operator to use.